Almost one in five fleets have 'right-sized vans', finds Arval

Almost one in five (17%) companies have changed the size of the vans they operate on their fleet in the last year, according to new research from Arval.

Of the 3,718 companies surveyed for the 2018 edition of Arval's Corporate Vehicle Observatory Barometer, 8% said they had chosen bigger vans in the past 12 months while 9% had acquired smaller vehicles.

The trends were different for smaller and larger fleets. Companies with fewer than 10 vehicles are leading the way with a switch to larger vans, while fleets with more than 50 vehicles are opting to downsize.

Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval’s Corporate Vehicle Observatory in the UK, said: “We have been saying for some time that more van fleets should look at the benefits of rightsizing – ensuring that the vehicles they are using are the right size for their intended use.

“Rightsizing works both ways – it is inefficient, and can even be unsafe, to use a smaller vehicle for a job that really needs a bigger van and vice versa. This is because of factors such as optimising the payload and maximising fuel consumption.

“The Corporate Vehicle Observatory research does suggest that the migration in van size is becoming a trend. Almost one in five fleets have changed the size of vehicle that they are buying, which could be because of rightsizing.”

Shaun added that the research also indicated that only one in 10 fleets sought external advice when buying vans.

“With so much choice, selecting the right van can be a complex and difficult process and this is an area where the van expertise we have developed over many years would be valuable to fleets of all shapes and sizes.”